Heidi Rivera

Heidi Rivera is a former personal finance writer and reporter for Bankrate. Her areas of expertise include personal loans, student loans and debt consolidation, in addition to data collection and analysis. Heidi started covering personal finance topics in late 2018 and her work has been featured in several publications, including Money, MSN Money, Yahoo Finance and Money Under 30.

Before working in finance, Heidi spent several years in post production, working as a subtitle editor for different TV and film studios.

When she isn’t giving her best financial advice, Heidi enjoys spending time with her cats, crafting and pinning home decor ideas on Pinterest.

Heidi wants you to know

Before applying for any loan product, make sure you understand how the APR (annual percentage rate) works and how it accrues. I certainly didn’t know this when I took out private student loans in college and was surprised to see how much my balances had grown once I graduated. If possible, make interest payments even when you’re in your grace period — this can make a world of difference in the long run.

Heidi’s recommended readings

• How to calculate loan interest
• How to apply for debt relief
• How to boost your chances of getting approved for a personal loan